ESPN re-ranks every Power 4 quarterback as college football enters critical stretch

With the 2025 college football season nearing the conclusion of its regular season at the end of November, and the Heisman Trophy race narrowing, ESPN‘s Bill Connelly took the opportunity to re-evaluate and re-rank his list of college football’s top quarterbacks this season.

Connelly made wholesale changes while acknowledging that many of the top quartebacks in his preseason ranking — Clemson‘s Cade Klubnik, LSU‘s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State‘s Drew Allar, South Carolina‘s LaNorris Sellers, Texas‘ Arch Manning and Florida‘s DJ Lagway — have “laid a collective egg” this season when compared to their early expectations.

Now, two months into the regular season, Connelly has a brand-new Top 10 quarterback ranking that includes four newcomers that were outside the Top 10 in his first ranking a month in — including both of the top two QBs: Ohio State‘s Julian Sayin and Georgia Tech‘s Haynes King. Check out ESPN’s updated list of every Power Four starting quarterback as determined by Connelly below:

1. Julian Sayin, Ohio State (+10)

The Buckeyes’ redshirt freshman quarterback has been everything he was billed to be as a five-star ’24 recruit, and is currently the odds-on betting favorite to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy with +160 odds, according to BetMGM. Sayin currently leads the nation with an eye-popping 80.9 completion percentage, more than eight points better than his next closest challenger, Miami’s Carson Beck (72.7).

ESPN: “It’s always hard to grade the guys who have the best supporting cast. … But as Ohio State has opened up the playbook and asked more of Sayin, he has responded with near perfection. He’s first in the nation in Total QBR, completion rate (80.9%) and success rate (62.0%).”

2. Haynes King, Georgia Tech (+27)

The Yellow Jackets’ gutsy senior dual-threat QB is among Connelly’s biggest climbers in his latest update, moving from 29th to second overall while leading Georgia Tech to the top of the ACC this season. King is a true running threat and currently leads the ACC with 14 rushing touchdowns and ranks fourth in rushing (among all qualified players) with 754 yards on the ground this season.

ESPN: “Despite an endless number of injuries through the years — and despite his eyes hinting at a certain level of pain I have never experienced after every single tackle he takes — King is doing everything he possibly can to drag Tech to the ACC title and CFP, and he seems to be getting better in the process.”

3. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (+1)

The Hoosiers’ junior transfer QB has been a revelation since arriving in Bloomington, and actually gets a nice boost to No. 3 for the serious Heisman Trophy contender. Mendoza, fresh off his comeback drive in the final minute against Penn State, is tied for the FBS-lead with 26 passing touchdowns and currently has the second-best Heisman Trophy odds (+175) in what’s become a two-horse race.

ESPN: “He has thrown a pick in five of his past six games, and the fourth-quarter INT against Penn State nearly proved costly, but despite facing loads of pressure for the first time all year, he also engineered a perfect, game-winning TD drive.”

4. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt (-2)

The Commodores’ emotional leader and unquestioned team captain falls slightly in Connelly’s updated ranking despite continuing to put up eye-popping stats in his second season in Nashville. Pavia leads the SEC with 28 total touchdowns and is tied for the league-lead with 21 passing scores while completing 70-percent of his passes this season. He also has 613 rushing yards this year.

ESPN: “With the Commodores’ defense getting lit up by Auburn (last Saturday), Pavia threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 114 more yards and another score. Like King, when he has to put the team on his shoulders, he looks great doing it.”

5. Jayden Maiava, USC (-4)

The Trojans junior quarterback has elevated his play in his second season as USC’s QB1, especially with explosive plays down the field. Maiava’s 9.7 yards-per-attempt average is tied for third nationally behind only Notre Dame’s CJ Carr (10.1) and Sayin (9.9), while he leads the Big Ten in passing averaging 290.4 yards per game this season.

ESPN: “He’s still very good, and USC still ranks first in offensive SP+, but the mistakes have added up a bit. In his past five games, Maiava has thrown six interceptions, and he went a combined 31-for-65 with three picks against Notre Dame and Nebraska.”

6. Gunner Stockton, Georgia (+14)

The Bulldogs’ first-year starting quarterback has been the consumate on-field leader Georgia hasn’t had since Stetson Bennett III walked the halls of Butts-Mehre Hall in Athens. Stockton’s 69.4 completion percentage ranks third in the SEC along with a 15-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio while also providing a spark on the ground with seven rushing touchdowns this season.

ESPN: “He’s third in Total QBR, he has thrown just two picks, and on passes thrown under 15 yards downfield his completion rate is 79% (fifth). … Still, the Bulldogs are efficient, and in part because of Stockton’s legs, they’re nearly perfect in the red zone.”

7. CJ Carr, Notre Dame

Another redshirt freshman, the Fighting Irish’s first-year starter leads the nation averaging a full first down — 10.1 yards-per-attempt — every throw he’s made this season while guiding Notre Dame back into Playoff contention after a dismal 0-2 start to the regular season.

ESPN: “Carr is fourth nationally in yards per dropback and eighth in success rate, and while it’s concerning that (a) he has played against only three top-50 defenses (per SP+) and (b) he wasn’t very good against two, Total QBR is still opponent adjusted, and he’s 10th in that.”

8. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (-5)

While he might not have started the season as the Ole Miss’ starter, the Rebels senior QB has certainly risen to the challenge since replacing an injured Austin Simmons two weeks into the season. Since then, Chambliss has been spectacular, ranking fifth in the SEC with 2,356 passing yards and 19 total touchdowns, including an elite 13-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

ESPN: “Chambliss, the Ferris State transfer and Division II champ, has cooled off since his nearly perfect start, and his past four games against FBS opponents have produced only 7.3 yards per dropback. … But Ole Miss has topped 30 points in four of his five SEC starts, and he’s meeting the moment.”

9. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati (-3)

The Bearcats’ junior starter has been sensational at times, including throwing 21 touchdowns without an interception before tossing his second pick late in last Saturday’s 45-14 loss at Utah. But in the meantime, Sorsby’s been effective, ranking second in the Big 12 averaging 8.7 yards-per-attempt and a 161.47 passer rating while throwing 21 touchdowns to two interceptions this year.

ESPN: “It’s hard to grade a guy like Sorsby, who has been just about the best QB in the country in seven wins (67% completion rate, 87.8 Total QBR) and just about the worst in two losses (41% completion rate, 43.7 Total QBR).”

10. Taylen Green, Arkansas (+4)

A truly dynamic dual-threat option, the Razorbacks’ senior QB leads the SEC averaging 335.7 total yards of offense per game, ranks third averaging 263.6 passing yards per game and is the league’s top rushing quarterback with 649 yards and six scores on the ground this season. The one glaring issue is his eight interceptions, which is tied for second-to-last in the conference.

ESPN: “For two seasons in Fayetteville, Green has simultaneously been a top-five quarterback and a borderline top-50 guy. It almost varies by the play. But even with the random disasters, he’s one of the scarier dual-threats in the country.”

ESPN’s top Power Four quarterbacks, Nos. 11-68:

11. Ty Simpson, Alabama (-3)
12. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M (+14)
13. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee (+4)
14. Demond Williams Jr., Washington (-5)
15. Darian Mensah, Duke (+7)
16. Luke Altmyer, Illinois (-1)
17. Dante Moore, Oregon (-12)
18. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor (+3)
19. Devon Dampier, Utah (+15)
20. CJ Bailey, NC State (+12)
21. Jalon Daniels, Kansas (-11)
22. Behren Morton, Texas Tech (+6)
23. Josh Hoover, TCU
24. Bear Bachmeier, BYU (+15)
25. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh (NR)
26. Carson Beck, Miami (-8)
27. Avery Johnson, Kansas State (+20)
28. Cade Klubnik, Clemson (+26)
29. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers (+1)
30. Kevin Jennings, SMU (+5)
31. Noah Fifita, Arizona (+20)
32. John Mateer, Oklahoma (-20)
33. Tommy Castellanos, Florida State (-17)
34. Conner Weigman, Houston (+12)
35. Arch Manning, Texas (+6)
36. Chandler Morris, Virginia (-23)
37. Cutter Boley, Kentucky (+31)
38. Bryce Underwood, Michigan
39. Ashton Daniels, Auburn (NR)
40. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (-3)
41. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA (+17)
42. Malik Washington, Maryland (+6)
43. Rocco Becht, Iowa State (-19)
44. TJ Lateef, Nebraska (NR)
45. Blake Shapen, Mississippi State
46. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal (+3)
47. Aidan Chiles/Alessio Milivojevic, Michigan State (-14)
48. Miller Moss, Louisville (-12)
49. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (-22)
50. Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech (+6)
51. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota (-9)
52. Jeff Sims, Arizona State (NR)
53. Mark Gronowski, Iowa (+4)
54. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Penn State (NR)
55. DJ Lagway, Florida (+6)
56. Ryan Browne, Purdue (-12)
57. Julian Lewis/Kaidon Salter/Ryan Staub, Colorado (-17
58. Matt Zollers, Missouri (NR)
59. Scotty Fox Jr., West Virginia (+5)
60. Preston Stone, Northwestern (+7)
61. Robby Ashford/Deshawn Purdie, Wake Forest (-1)
62. Grayson James/Dylan Lonergan, Boston College (-10)
63. Tayven Jackson, UCF (-10)
64. Ben Gulbranson/Elijah Brown, Stanford (-5)
65. Gio Lopez, North Carolina (+1)
66. Rickie Collins, Syracuse (-3)
67. Carter Smith, Wisconsin (-5)
68. Multiple Oklahoma State QBs (-3)